1 December 2023

Eduarda Centeno Awarded “Irv and Helga Cooper Open Science Prize”

Congratulations to Eduarda Centeno, runner-up of the “Irv and Helga Cooper Open Science Trainee Prize”! This happened on November, 30th 2023.

Eduarda is a doctoral student supervised by Arthur Leblois in France and works as a research assistant in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) with Linda Douw.

Can you explain briefly what you are working on?

In my PhD, I am developing open-source pipelines in Python to answer different questions regarding vocal learning in songbirds. My thesis focuses on the potential role of sleep and high-frequency oscillations in song learning and consolidation.

Regarding the prize, it is awarded to those who work on making Open Science a reality in Neuroscience. My application was based on three main points: an openly available computational tutorial for neuroimaging analysis developed during my master’s thesis (supervised by Linda and Fernando Santos); my efforts in the Netherlands moving the Anatomy and Neurosciences department toward Open Science practices through a working group I started and coordinate; and my contributions to the Bordeaux Neurocampus community through the BordeauxTea and the organization of the 1st Open Science Workshop.

Why is this prize important to you?

Receiving this prize makes me feel like my daily efforts are seen and valued by my peers as something useful to a wider community than just myself/my lab. This was always the goal of my scientific projects. As with any other culture change, working in line with Open Science can feel “against the flow” and “lonely” sometimes; therefore, it is important and motivating to be reminded that the community is there, actively incentivizing and recognizing people’s work.

I see a road ahead for science toward more reproducible, transparent, and accessible practices, and I am very proud to be part of this move.

This prize recognizes projects, services, tools, and platforms that unlock the power of Open Science in neuroscience to advance research, innovation, and collaboration for the benefit of health and society.

This is the third prize Eduarda received last year as she got the Best Paper Award for her master thesis (@OHBM 2023 in August), and an OSCAward (Open Science Community of Amsterdam Award) in January.

What a Year!